Everybody Needs a Memory
THANKS TO BYRD BAYLOR who wrote EVERYBODY NEEDS A ROCK. BYRD, YOU HAVE INSPIRED MANY POETS IN MY CLASSROOM OVER THE YEARS AND NOW YOU INSPIRED US. THANK YOU!
Ha! We can hear you laughing out there.
You think because we are older………and
Have Parkinson’s…….we are losing our marbles.
Wellllllllll, we aren’t.
The memories we want to share have to
Do with parties, people, school teachers
(good and bad),
foods, holidays, babies, romance,
laughing and crying.
So give us some of your time and see if
Our memories cause you to recall…………
Your memories.
Stuffed animals:
Some of us still place them
On our beds, no matter our age.
We can’t, NO WAY
Give it away or throw it away.
“It’s my special animal,” whines a 6’4”
tall junior in college.
“I’m not ready to give it up!!”
So there it stays; the giraffe,
The bear, the hippo……….the treasured stuffed
Toy that carries so many memories.
“My teddy bear that I had as a child
STILL sits in my own little white rocking chair
He doesn’t move much any more as he is
Old
But he still looks good, happy and warm.
Grandchildren:
Can’t truly grasp the meaning of Parkinson’s.
And when we listen to them we can’t
grasp anything about Baymax, Hiro, GoGo,
Optimus Prime, or Heatwave.
Isn’t Go-Go a name for a dance in the 60’s?
“Which one is your favorite, Grandma?”
“Bubble-bee!! I reply”
Giggles, happiness.
“Mine, too.”
Bubble bee, the rescue bot, becomes
A yellow VW bug. This we recognize.
And better yet, we rode in one, in the 60’s.
Now we are a hero with a bad
Wi-Fi Connection.
“No problem Grandma,
I’m going to be a nurse.
I’ll take care of you and
get you ungarbled.
Do you need new batteries in your hands?”
Giggles, happiness
Sports:
HUGE in our family
Brought Dad more into my life.
Otherwise,
Dad was in the field
from early morning to dark.
He gave us the gift of baseball,
The chicken coop our backstop.
The wheat field our goal.
He gave us the gift of basketball
The hoop on the side of the equipment shed.
Dad was HUGE in our family
FOOD * FAMILY * PHOTOS:
Mole’, kibbeh nayhe, paprikach,
Gnocchi, hummus with pitabread,
Shish-ka-bobs, spanicopita, tabbouleh,
Dolamahs, baqlawa, figs and dates
Stuffed walnuts
Dusted with powdered sugar
Deep, dark, thick ‘rocket fuel’
Memories are flooding
Over the head, into the heart.
Laughter, bickering about how
The recipe SHOULD be followed.
Laughter, sharing the load.
Everyone finds a place to help.
Laughter, over the top.
Tears from memories both lovely and loving.
“you know what I love about getting together
with all of my family?” asks the first born second
cousin. (The one who will instill the carrying onward
of the carrying on).
“You all look like me and love the food I love!!”
Photo after photo. Preserving the moment
for the children and their children and their children
We will sit with our great grandchildren in our laps,
Sharing our stories, so they can share our stories
With their great grandchildren
Everybody needs a memory.
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